Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2009 | Page 92

life

FOOD & DRINK with Alan Staley

Two great recipes from Alan
Staley, Executive Chef and his
team at the Royal Hotel, Ventnor
Each issue Alan will be giving you some great tricks and tips
to make your life in the kitchen easier. This issue: Preparing a
lobster
1. Locate the cross marked
on the top of the shell almost
half way down the body, with
the point of a large chefs
knife push the knife down,
this will instantly kill the
lobster.

2. Place the lobster into a
pan of boiling water adding a
touch of salt.
3. Cook lobster for approx 8
minutes then remove.
4. Remove front claws by
twisting and breaking them
off.
5. With a sharp knife cut
down the middle of the
lobster firstly towards back
then front. You now have
your lobster in two halfs.

Stephen’s Iced
Meringue Caprice
INGREDIENTS
Caprice
200ml double cream
30g kirsch
20g sugar

2
6. Crack claws and remove
the claw meat in one piece.
7. Remove all meat and
clean out shell, then place the
white meat from the tail back
into the lobster shell together
with the claw meat.
Cooking times will vary
depending on size of lobster.

1

1 leaf gelatine (optional)
Whip the cream and sugar until
firm
Soak the gelatine in cold water

Method

then melt in the warmed kirsch
Fold all together

Serves 8

Meringue

Prep 20min
Cook 40min
Ready in 1 hour

45g egg white
90g castor sugar
Couple of drops of vanilla
essence
Beat the sugar and whites
together until firm (around
10 mins) then add the vanilla
essence
Pipe into thin rounds and cook
in a warm oven at 95 degrees
for two hours
Once cooked leave to cool.

Raspberry coulis
250g Raspberries
25g Caster sugar

92

Blend the raspberries together
with the sugar then pass through
a sieve to create a smooth silky
sauce
Line the mould with clingfilm
then starting with the cream
make alternate layers with
the meringue (3 to 4 layers of
meringue) and finish with the
cream
Leave to freeze for 12 hours then
serve with some freshly picked
red summer fruits enrobed with a
little raspberry coulis
Take the caprice out of the
freezer 10 mins before serving
then place on the plate with the
seasonal berries and some fresh
mint.

Alan's
seasonal produce
Fresh fruit and vegetables are

ripen as do leeks and

abundant as summer reaches

sweetcorn.

its height. Now is the time to

Early British apple varieties

start thinking about jam and

are available, and depending

preserves, before the bounty

on the weather, a whole

begins to disappear.

host of fungi should start

Heat-loving Aubergines,

appearing in the woods.

courgettes and tomatoes